10:50: Cottarelli to meet Mattarella

President Sergio Mattarella has summoned former IMF director Carlo Cottarelli for talks at 11:30, where they’ll discuss the possibility of a temporary technocratic government.

Cottarelli, 64, was director of the IMF’s fiscal affairs department from 2008 to 2013 and became known as “Mr Scissors” for making cuts to public spending in Italy.

The question is whether he’ll be able to get parliamentary approval, since the League and M5S between them have a majority in both Italy’s houses of parliament.

READ MORE: Who is Carlo Cottarelli, the technocrat who could be Italy’s next PM?

10:30: The story so far

Last week, it looked as if Italy was finally about to get a new government after almost three months of political deadlock following inconclusive elections back in March.

Two populist parties, the Five Star Movement (M5S) and League, agreed on a coalition deal and prime ministerial nominee, lawyer Giuseppe Conte. Italian president Sergio Mattarella approved Conte as PM, but the stumbling block came when the latter nominated a fierce eurosceptic as finance minister.

Mattarella vetoed the nomination, but the M5S and League refused to back down, both calling to impeach the president. Conte gave up his mandate, and the possibility of a technocratic government is now on the table, with elections later this year looking likely.

We’ll be updating this blog with the latest updates throughout Monday, and you can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Source:Thelocal.it